Aircraft



Sept. 15, 1931.

J. D. WEBER 1,823,417

AIRCRAFT Filed Sept. 16, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet J.

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Inventor A itomey J D. WEBER Sept. 15, 1931.

AIRCRAFT Fi'led Sept. 16, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 lnven ior 170/171 2 mpef.

A iiomey J. D. WEBER Sept. 15, 1931.

AIRCRAFT Filed Sept 16, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor A ttamey Patented Sept. 15, 1931 PATENT OFFICE JOHN D. WEBER, OF UPPER LAKE, CALIFORNIA AIRCRAFT Application filed September. 16, 1930. Serial No. 482,316.

This invention relates to aircraft and particularly the aero lanes and airships of the dirigible type, an an object ofthe invention is to provide an aircraft that is ca able of risin or landin in a comparative y small area y reason utilizing e wings thereof as a lifting means.

Further objects of the invention are to provide in a manner as hereinafter set forth, a

device of the character referred to, that is strong, compact and durable, thoroughly reliable for its intended urpose in its method of assemb y, and having wings adapted to changing their horizontal pitch and that is comparatively inexpensive to manufacture and 0 rate.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists of a novel construction, combination and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawin s, wherein'is illustrated an embodiment o the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to without delparting from the spirit and scope of the c aims hereto appended.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views Figure 1 is a side elevation of an aeroplane in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal detailed sectional view thereof.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentar detailed vertical sectional view of the driving connection'and wings illustrating the method of changing the pitch thereof, and

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 5.

In the drawings wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown the preferred embodiment of my invention, 8 indicates a bullet-shaped hollow fuselage pointed at its forward and rear ends, having the customary stabilizers 9, 10 and a rudder 11 supported on the rear end thereof. While the invention as illustrated shows my invention apvery simple.

plied to an aeroplane it is within the spirit of my invention to apply to lighter than air crafts such as air ships. For supporting the fuselage 8, a pair of angular-shaped brackets 12, 13 are secured at their upper ends to the fuselage adjacent the forward and rear ends thereof. Rotatably supported on the lower ends of the brackets 12, 13 are a pair of round engaging wheels 14, 15 for each of the rackets.

A partition 16 is secured to the side, front and rear walls of the fuselage and extends longitudinally thereof below the center. A pair of prime movers 17 and 18 are supported on the partition 16, and the prime mover 17 66 being forward of the center of the fuselage, while the prime mover 18 is toward the rear of the center of the fuselage. The prime movers may consist or an internal combustion engine of any conventional type or an electric motor.

A shaft 19 extends forwardly from the front prime mover 17 and is provided with a clutch 20 operable as-at 21 from the interior of the fuselage. Rotatably mounted on the forward end of the shaft 19 exteriorly and at the nose of the fuselage is a twin-bladed propeller 22 and having the blades thereof disposed at an angle with respect to a vertical plane. The propeller 22 is the driving means so for the aeroplane.

A pair of wings indicated generally at 23, 24, are supported on top of the fuselage, in the manner to be resently described, in the same plane as the ongitudinal median thereof. The wings extend on the opposite sides of the fuselage.

The wing 23 is provided with two-blade sections 25, 26 and the rearwing 24 is provided with two blade sections 27, 28. The inner to ends of the blades of each wing merge into the central externally threaded caps 29, 30. The blades of the Wings 23, 24,,are slightly bowed from their inner ends to the tips thereof as will be understood by referring to Fig. 05 3 of the drawings.

A pair of hollow bearing sleeves 31, 32 are supported upon a pair of brackets 33, 34 that are secured to the upper face of the fuselage. Through each of the sleeves 31, 32 there ex- I tends in a vertical direction hollow shafts 35,

36, and one of the shafts 35 is shown in enlarged section in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

Bevelled gears 37, 38 are rigidly mounted on the hollow shafts 35, 36 at the lower ends thereof and engage with bevelled gears 39, 30 each of which are ri idly anchored to rotatable shafts 41, 42. an each shaft 41, 42, there is a bell-crank clutch lever 43, 44, rock able on the partition 16, as at 45,46 for throwing the clutches 47, 48 into and out of engagement with the prime mover. The arms 49, 50 of the bell-crank clutch levers 43, 44, are so disposed in angular relation that when the clutches are disengaged with the engine, the said arms 49, 50 engage the teeth of the bevelled gears 39, 40 and lock the wings at predetermined points about their axis of rotation. The point of locking is to have the blades of both wings disposed at right angles to the fuselage.

Referring particularly to Fig. 5 of the drawings where one of the vertically disposed drive shafts 35 is shown, the shaft 35 is adapted to be rotatably journalled in the sleeve 31. The hollow drive shaft 36 operates similar to shaft 35 to drive the wing 24. The upper end of the sleeve is closed as at 51 and projecting from the diametrically opposite sides thereof are a pair of externally threaded laterally projecting apertured bosses 52, 53. The caps 29, 30 on the inner ends of the blades of the wing 23 threadably engage with the oppositely disposed bosses 52, 53, and provide for rotation of the wing 23.

A pair of oppositely disposed crank arms 54, 55 are journalled in the apertures of the bosses 52,53, and the outer ends thereof are rigidly secured to the caps 29, 30 whereby the turning of the crank arms will rotate the sections 25, 26 of each wing. The upper ends of a pair of links 56, 57 are pivoted to the free inner ends of the crank arms 54, 55 respectively, and the lower end of the links 56, 57 are slidably coupled as at 58 to a pair of levers 59, 60 pivoted at their inner ends as at 61 to a pair of segmental plates 62, 63. The

chorded periphery of each plate 62, 63 is provided with notches 64 for engagement with a conventional type detent 65 slidably coupled to the levers 59 and 60.

In the application of the invention, the

aeroplane is adapted. to rotate the wing blades indicated generally at 23, 24 in a sub stantially horizontal plane which will materially aid in the raising or lowering of the aeroplane. When the aeroplane has acquired suflicient height, the clutch levers 43, 44 are rocked to the position shown in Fig. 4, of the drawings whereupon the arms 49, 50 of the clutch levers will engage the teeth of the worm gears 39, 40 and lock the wings in extended position at right angles .to the fuselage. There is a slight play in the clutch levers 43, 44 to permit regulation of the wings to a position at right angles to the fuselage, but when the pilot becomes accustomed to the operation of these clutch levers the rotation may be stopped and the wing locked with a. simultaneous throw of the clutch lever.

The wings 23, 24, have the opposite blades 25, 26, 27 and 28 rotatably connected to the levers 59, 60 in the fuselage and there is a pair of levers for each wing. By moving the levers 59, 60 the blades of each wing may be rotated so as to rock the blades of the wings on a horizontal axis. Each of the wings may be locked in any predetermined angular position with respect to a horizontal plane by permitting the detent 65 on each lever to engage with the notches 64 on the plates 62, 63.

Thus it will be seen that the blades of each wing may be rocked to any angle to a horizontal plane to lift or lower the aeroplane when they are rotating. In lifting the aeroplane when the proper height is reached the blades of each wing are then rocked to a substantially horizontal plane where the blades function as wings when they are at rest, the propeller 22 being used to propel the'ship.

Whilethe invention is shown associated with a heavier than air craft, it would be within the spirit of the invention to place gas tanks in the fuselage to make the aircraft lighter than air. In this event one wing could be made of four blades and disposed in the center of the cabin instead of having a pair of wings of two blades each, at each end of the aeroplane fuselage.

It is to be understood that by describing in detail herein any particular form, structure, or arrangement, it is not intended to limit the invention beyond the terms of the several claims or the requirements of the prior art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. A dirigible comprising a fuselage, a pair of wings rotatably mounted on the fuselage in a plane parallel with the longitudinal medium thereof, a propeller mounted forwardly of the wings, prime movers supported in the fuselage and selectively coupled to the wings and the propeller, means supported on the fuselage for locking the wings in selected positions about its axis and means supported on the driving means for changing the horizontal pitch of the wings, said the selectively coupling of the prime mover.

2. An air craft comprising a fuselage, a propeller rotatably mounted in the forward end of the fuselage, a wing rotatably mounted on the fuselage having its axis of rotation at right angles to the forward propeller, a prime mover mounted in the fuselage and selectively coupled to the wing and the propelljer, means supported on the fuselage for I locking the wing in selected positions about its axis and means for changing the pitch of the Wing, said locking means being 'slmultaneously operable with the selectively coupling of the prime mover.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

g I JOHN D. WEBER. 

